Transfer device



April 2o, 1965 K. F. NYQVIST TRANSFER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1962 `INVENTOR KURT FMLARMYQVIST BY M253@ ATTORNEY LI E United States Patent O 3,179,229 TRANSFER DEVICE Kurt Fjailar Nyqvvrst, Boxbacka, Finland `Filed May 16, 1962, Ser. No. 195,230 6 Claims. (Cl. 198-24)` This invention consists of adeviee in machinery used for the sorting of all. kinds of lumber and timber, particularly logs and the like. It comprises a dog conveyor consisting of dogs carrying the goods and moving along two adjacent rails, and longitudinally spaced log deposition stations or pockets on one or both sides of the conveyor to receive the sorted lumber. The device according to the invention is located at the point of each pocket so that the logs, etc. can be dropped straight into the desired pocket.

The principal feature of the invention is that a portion of one of the rails in the section ofthe conveyor adjacent to the pocket can be lowered so that the dogs on this section slope down in the direction of the pocket and drop the piece of the lumber or timber into it.

The purpose, advantages and other details of the invention Will become clear from the following description and the attached drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a Vertical, longitudinal section of the device according to Ithe invention along the line I--I in FIG. 2,

FIG. 2 shows the same as seen from above, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged `cross section along the line III-III in FIG. 1.

The dog conveyor in the drawing consists of dogs 2a and 2b driven by a chain 3 and moving along two ixed rails 1. In the embodiment presented, there are pockets at 16, for sorted lumber on either side of the conveyor. Each pocket has its own device according to the inven tion. Since, therefore, two such devices lie adjacent to each other, only one need be described here. Logs carried bythe conveyor rest in shallow concave seats 15 on two consecutive dogs 2a and 2b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the xed rails 1 end at the point where the pockets begin, and are replaced by two movable rails 4 hinged to the upper ends of two pairs of supporting rods 5 at points 6. At point 7 the lower ends of the rods are hinged to axles in the frame of the conveyor. When the device is in its upper position, the upper surface of the movable rails 4 is level with that `of the fixed rails 1 and the supporting rods 5 slope slightly in the direction of conveyance, which is yshown by arrows. j Near the rear end of the rails 4 are a trip lever 9 and a draw lever 10, both turning on a transverse axle 8 in the frame of the conveyor. To the underpart of the bushing of thertrip lever 9 is attached a chain 11 the `or deposition stations, one of which is shown generally other end of which is attached to the upper part of the bushing of the rear supporting rod 5 in such a way that, when the movable rails are in their upper position, the chain is tight. An electric magnet 12 is fitted near the rear end of the movable rails 4. Under the magnet 12 is a hinged lever 13 which functions in conjunction with the draw lever 10, as explained hereunder.

Attached to and turning on lthe bushing of the supporting rod 5 at the frontend of the movable rail 4 is a catch lever 14 the upper end of which lies below the surface of Thereupon,

j 3,179,229 ,Patented Apr. 20, 1965 ICC lever 9 into the broken line position -shown, so thatit pulls the chain 11, turns the rear rod 5 in an anti-clock` wise direction and causes the movable rail 4 to" descend into the position shownby broken lines; the dogs 2, which are supported by one rail in the? upper position and one in the lower position, slope at the angle 4shown by broken lines in FIG. 3, and the logcarried on them falls into thercontainer. `As the dogs move on, the lowered side of the dog 2b engages the catch lever 14, which is protruding above `the rail on that side in the broken line position shown in FIG. 1.4 This turns the support rods 5 in a clockwise direction thereby raising the rail 4 into its upper position. When the rail 4 is in its upper position, the support rods 5 slope slightly in the direction of conveyance and the top end of the catch lever 14 remains a little below the upper surface of the rail 4, so that the dog 2b does not touch it on moving forwards.

The dogs 2a and 2b are set at such a distance that at the moment of drop they are both carried simultaneously by the rail 4. They should be made fairly tall so that when they turn,` their centre of gravity will move rapidly to the side, thus accelerating the turn. If the device is used for sorting sawn timber, the upper edge of the dogs can be furnished with rollers to facilitate dropping.

Naturally, the invention is not restricted to the embodiment presented above. It can vary considerably within the limits ofthe claims. Furthermore it is equally applicable if there are pockets only on one side of the conveyor.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for the sorting of pieces of lumber and timber, particularly logs, comprising a conveyor extending along a plurality of longitudinally spaced log deposition stations 0n at least one side of said conveyor, said conveyor comprising two laterally lspaced rails and a plurality of dogs movable on said rails for carrying said logs in their longitudinal direction at a level above said rails, a portion of said r-ail adjacent each of said vdeposition stations being separa-te from other portions of the rail, means for independently supporting said portions of the rail for movement in a vertical plane between an upper position level with other portions of said rail and a lower position below the other portions of said rail, for actuating the supporting means for said portion of said rail to lower it from said upper position to said lower position at the moment when dogs carrying a selected log are positioned on said rail portion, and means for automatically actuating the supporting means `for said portion of said rail to raise it into Said upper position after the selected log has been discharged into its deposition station.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim l, wherein the means for actuating the supporting means for said portion of the rail to lower it comprises a trip lever adjacent the entering end of Said rail portion selectively movable into the path of movement of the dogs and retractable from said path, and means connecting the trip lever to the support.- ing means so that engagement of the lever by the dog actuates the supporting means to lower the said portion of the rail.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for automatically raising said portion of said rail comprises a catch lever adjacent the exit end of said rail portion and connected to said rail portion so as to extend into the path of the dogs when the said rail portion is lowered and to Abe retracted from the path of the dogs when the said rail portion is raised, the connection between the catch lever and said rail portion being such that engagement therewith by a dog causes the raising of said rail portion. j

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means Consequently, j

for independently supporting said portion of the rail cornprises a fixed support, at least two spaced parallel rods pivotally connected at their lower ends to the support, and means pvotally connecting the upper ends vof the rods to the said portion'of the rail.

5. Apparatusas claimed in claim 4, wherein the said portion of the rail isk of such a length that there are only two successive dogs on it at a time.

6. Apparatus as claimed iny claim 5, wherein the trip lever is connected to a rst supporting rod, at the entering end of the said rail, so as to turn in the opposite 'direction from the turning of the said rst rod about its 4 pivotal axis at its lower end, and wherein the catch lever is connected to a second supporting rod, at the exit end of the said rail, so as to turn with the second rod about its pivotal axis at its lower end.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 116,424 2/30 Austria.

ERNEST A. FALLER, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM B. LA BORDE, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING OF PIECES OF LUMBER AND TIMBER, PARTICULARLY LOGS, COMPRISING A CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED LOG DEPOSITION STATIONS ON AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR, SAID CONVEYOR COMPRISING TWO LATERALLY SPACED RAILS AND A PLURALITY OF DOGS MOVABLE ON SAID RAILS FOR CARRYING SAID LOGS IN THEIR LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID RAILS, A PORTION OF SAID RAIL ADJACENT EACH OF SAID DEPOSITION STATIONS BEING SEPARATE FROM OTHER PORTIONS OF THE RAIL, MEANS FOR INDEPENDENTLY SUPPORTING SAID PORTIONS OF THE RAIL FOR MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION LEVEL WITH OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID RAIL AND A LOWER POSITION BELOW THE OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID RAIL, FOR ACTUATING THE SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SAID PORTIONS OF SAID RAIL TO LOWER IT FROM SAID UPPER POSITION TO SAID LOWER POSITION AT THE MOMENT WHEN DOGS CARRYING A SELECTED LOG ARE POSITIONED ON SAID RAIL PORTION, AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ACTUATING THE SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SAID PORTION OF SAID RAIL TO RAISE IT INTO SAID UPPER POSITION AFTER THE SELECTED LOG HAS BEEN DISCHARGED INTO ITS DEPOSITION STATION. 